Ahead of the start of the men’s European clay court season this Sunday in Monte Carlo, the biggest question in tennis is whether this year’s breakout star, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, can compete on clay against what might now be called (in the continuing absence from the ATP Tour of Roger Federer) “The Big Two”, namely […]

Perhaps it is the rarefied air that Rafael Nadal is now breathing as statistically the most successful male player ever that caused him such problems in the Indian Wells Final, to the extent that he ultimately succumbed, relatively meekly, to Taylor Fritz. But whatever the cause of those problems, they are a reminder of Nadal’s […]

As the last few weeks have reminded us, history, which usually unfolds so slowly, can also happen quickly. The last three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, which had seemed to represent an unending march towards globalisation, now appear, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to have been a phoney peace […]

Daniil Medvedev will become the new World No. 1 of the ATP Tour on Monday, becoming only the 27th player to hold the top spot in the Open Era. This comes after Novak Djokovic failed to defend the title in Dubai, dropping 410 points after a shock quarterfinal exit, courtesy of qualifier Jiri Vesely. Medvedev […]

Since last year’s Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal has been tied with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles apiece, the all-time men’s record. At the following US Open, Daniil Medvedev denied Djokovic a record 21st Major title. Now, the Russian was tasked with doing the same to Rafael Nadal. He looked up to […]

Before the 2022 Australian Open began, two men had a chance of making tennis history, as both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were bidding for a remarkable 21st Major victory to break their three-way tie with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam Singles titles. Now, even though Djokovic was barred from playing in Melbourne because […]

We investigate the phenomenon of reaching a final directly before a Grand Slam tournament and whether it has any effect on performance

Amid all the controversy surrounding Novak Djokovic, it is possible to forget not only that the Australian Open will start next week but that it could be a truly historic tournament. That is because it could see a new record being set for the number of Majors won by a man, with Djokovic (if he […]

The men’s event at Indian Wells was established far earlier than the women’s – in 1974, as opposed to 1989 – so there are far more men’s finals than women’s finals to choose a top five from. Nevertheless, just like the women’s event, the men’s event has altered in form and format over the decades. […]

One of the many ripple effects of Novak Djokovic’s last-match defeat in pursuit of the Calendar Grand Slam is that, for the time being at least, Roger Federer remains tied with Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on 20 Majors. Given that it is now nearly four years since Federer won his last Major (the 2018 Australian […]

Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, looks back at Novak Djokovic’s failure to achieve the Calendar Slam, arguing that it shows just how incredibly hard that achievement is. It says everything about how hard it is to win the Calendar Slam, especially in the Men’s game, that not one of The Big Three – Roger […]

Ahead of the Olympic Tennis Finals this weekend, Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, takes a look back at the history of the Men’s Singles in modern Olympic Tennis. Just as modern tennis is often considered to have begun in 1968, with the start of the Open (or fully professional) era, so modern Olympic tennis […]

Ahead of the Olympic Tennis Finals this weekend, Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, takes a look back at the history of the Women’s Singles in modern Olympic Tennis. Seoul 1988: Steffi Graf (Germany) beat Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina) 6–3 6–3 Modern Olympic tennis began with something of a bang in 1988 when Steffi Graf won […]

Roger Federer’s recurring knee injury has cast a cloud of uncertainty over his participation in the American hard-court season beginning in a few weeks. Needless to say, this is a huge setback for him and his fans. Fitness concerns have had a toll on the Swiss’s relentless pursuits to stay on top of his game […]

Ahead of the 2021 Final, Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, looks back at the finest Wimbledon Men’s Singles Finals ever. The 2021 edition will have to go some to match these classics. In ascending order, here are the five finest Wimbledon Men’s Singles Finals Ever. 2001: Goran Ivanišević beats Pat Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, […]

Ahead of the 2021 Final, Martin Keady, our resident tennis historian, looks back at the finest Wimbledon Women’s Singles finals ever. Ash Barty and Karolina Plíšková will fight for the women’s final, but they will have lots of work to match these classics. In ascending order, here are the five finest Wimbledon Women’s Singles finals […]

Second round matchups commence on Wednesday, Day 4 at the French Open. The bottom half of the women’s draw will be in action on day 4, the side that has already seen some notable upsets, including the exits of Ons Jabeur and Garbine Muguruza. I’m expecting to see some more upsets at the second round […]

We move onto second-round action at the French Open in Paris on Day 4, now being able to use the players’ first-round performances to better judge what they will do here. Here’s where we can find some value. French Open Day 4 Men’s Best Bets Aljaz Bedene vs Pablo Cuevas Bedene looked quite good in […]

As the “Big 3” begin to fade, and Carlos Alcaraz positions himself to compete at the same level, who will present a real and lasting challenge to the rising star over the next decade? The young Spaniard is handily thrashing his way through his mere mortal peers in the top 10, and no one has […]

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played the last match of his career at Roland Garros on Tuesday, losing to Casper Ruud 7-6 6-7 2-6 6-7. The Frenchman was about to serve for the fourth set when he suffered a shoulder injury, leaving him barely able to continue (won just one of the next twelve points). What followed was […]

The second round of the French Open begins on Day 4 in Paris. 32 women will try to advance to Friday’s third round. As always, we here at LWOT are going to share our thoughts on the matches for you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. In addition to this one, we have […]

The second round of the French Open begins on Day 4 in Paris. 32 women will try to advance to Friday’s third round. As always, we here at LWOT are going to share our thoughts on the matches for you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. In addition to this one, we have […]

The second round of the French Open begins on Day 4 in Paris. 32 women will try to advance to Friday’s third round. As always, we here at LWOT are going to share our thoughts on the matches for you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. In addition to this one, we have […]

The second round of the French Open begins on Day 4 in Paris. 32 women will try to advance to Friday’s third round. As always, we here at LWOT are going to share our thoughts on the matches for you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. In addition to this one, we have […]